The sea. It's where life on earth began. And by some measure, Claude Debussy's "La Mer" (the Sea) is where 20th century music began. Completed in 1905, it's an orchestral masterpiece, an amazingly complex piece of music with a disarmingly simple name. We'll hear a terrific performance by the London Symphony Orchestra and Antonio Pappano, from London's Barbican Hall.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Bedrich Smetana: The Dance of the Villagers, from the Bartered Bride
The London Symphony Orchestra, Geoffrey Simon, conductor
Joseph Haydn: Keyboard Sonata No. 43 in E-flat, Hob.XVI:28, Op. 14, No. 2
Andras Kemenes, piano
Hungarian Radio, Budapest, Hungary
Wilhelm Stenhammar: In the Seraglio Garden, from Three Songs for Choir
The Swedish Radio Choir, Ragnar Bohlin, guest conductor
Ted Mann Concert Hall, Minneapolis
Traditional Swedish: Halleforsnasnarn
Ensemble Galilei
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Claude Debussy: La Mer (The Sea)
The London Symphony Orchestra, Antonio Pappano, conductor
Barbican Hall, London, England
Hour 2
Max Bruch: Excerpt from Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano, Op. 83
Kari Kriikku, clarinet, Martti Rousi, cello, Arto Satukangas, piano
Kurt Weill: Selections from the Threepenny Opera
Windscape
John C. Borden Auditorium, New York City
Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26
Ryu Goto, violin, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Nathan Milstein: Paganiniana
Ryu Goto, violin
Carnegie Hall, New York City
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American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.
Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country. Also, each Wednesday, composer Bruce Adolphe joins host Fred Child for a classical musical game and listener favorite: the Piano Puzzler.
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